Five female sprinters with a combined 34 victories were entered in the $150,000 My Juliet Stakes, the May 26 feature that begins the 2012 stakes schedule in earnest at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania.
The six-furlong stakes is named for the champion sprinter of 1976 who was based at Parx, which then was called Keystone Race Track. My Juliet won 24 of 36 races including the Vosburgh and Michigan Mile and One Eighth handicaps (both gr. II) and also bagged multiple stakes at Keystone, including the grade II Cotillion.
The My Juliet is slated as the eighth race on the nine-race Saturday program.
Gem Inc.’s Nicole H. and Eric Fein’s C C's Pal have taken turns beating each other recently. In their most recent meeting April 14 in the seven-furlong Distaff Handicap (gr. II) at Aqueduct Racetrack, C C’s Pal finished second to It's Tricky, with Nicole H. fourth. In the Feb. 18 Barbara Fritchie Handicap (gr. II), Nicole H. was second and C C’s Pal third behind Magical Feeling.
Nicole H., a winner of seven races, five of them stakes, in 20 starts is trained by Michael Hushion with Stewart Elliott named to ride. The 5-year-old Mr. Greeley mare has never raced at Parx.
C C’s Pal, also a seven-time winner with four stakes victories in 27 starts, is trained by Richard Dutrow Jr. with no rider named as of May 22. The 5-year-old Alex's Pal mare also will make her Parx debut.
Others in the My Juliet are Martin Scafidi’s Winning Image, a two-time stakes winner at Parx; Marcia Cohen and Steve Klesaris’ Derwin's Star, who has two wins and a second in three starts at Parx; and Mrs. Arturo Peralta-Ramos’ Aquitania, winner of the Marta Stakes at Belmont Park in her most recent start. No rider was named on Aquitania.
$150,000 My Juliet Stakes (Race 8, 3:22 p.m. EDT), F&M 3 & Up, 6 Furlongs
PP, Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1 Winning Image (KY), J C Caraballo, 122, M C Aro
2 C C's Pal (FL), no rider named, 122, R E Dutrow Jr.
3 Aquitania (KY), no rider named, 122, H A Smith
4 Nicole H (KY), S Elliott, 124, M E Hushion
5 Derwin's Star (FL), F Pennington, 114, S Klesaris
